


River/Doctor One-shots

by coffeesuperhero



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Ficlet Collection, One Shot, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-10-04
Updated: 2012-10-04
Packaged: 2017-11-15 16:00:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/529013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coffeesuperhero/pseuds/coffeesuperhero
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of various River/Eleven ficlets, various ratings, various lengths, written for various prompts. This is also an exercise in how many times I can use the word "various" in a sentence, apparently.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. pardon me

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimers** : This isn't for profit, just for fun. All characters & situations belong to Russell T. Davies, Stephen Moffat, BBC, and their various subsidiaries. I also borrowed a joke from one of my favorite Futurama eps, and that's not mine either.
> 
>  **A/N** : Written for [such_heights](http://archiveofourown.org/users/such_heights), who prompted "date night." This was sadder than originally intended. 
> 
> **NB: This ficlet has SPOILERS FOR ANGELS TAKE MANHATTAN**

"Did we celebrate?"

River looks up from the pages of her diary, blinking in confusion. It hardly seems the time to be talking about celebrations, but she won't reprimand him for that, not now, not ever. That stays locked away along with the rest of the damage.

"Celebrate what, exactly?"

He steps gingerly into the bedroom the TARDIS has graciously provided for her this time around, all done up in that familiar blue. "You were pardoned," he says. "Did we celebrate?"

She gives him a smile. "Of course not. How was I to contact a man who doesn't exist?"

"You always know where to find me," he says, reaching for her hand, the hand that he foolishly gave days of his precious stupid life to repair. "Wife."

"Indeed I do. And were you suggesting any particular kind of celebration, husband?" She lets her gaze drift over to the ridiculous four-poster bed that the TARDIS has given her, just to watch him follow her eyes and then blush like a schoolboy.

"A date, I thought," he squeaks, his fingers scrabbling at the side of his face. "Something quiet. Or not. Possibly something noisy. Lots of running. Maybe some shooting, but only if absolutely necessary, and only if you're the one doing the shooting."

"You know just what to say to a girl," she laughs, and he holds out his arm.

"Shall we?"

+

The running and the shooting are an excellent distraction, but for all that she loves a good caper, the better part of her evening is spent on a picnic blanket in the middle of a thirty-fourth century forest.

It isn't a four-poster bed, but she's not complaining, and neither is he.

Later, he asks her how the professoring is going, and she tells him of the trials and tribulations of teaching fifty-first century students. She's in the middle of a story about excavating Space Venice when suddenly, without warning, he turns and flings his arms around her, his face pressed against her neck, clinging to her as though if he were to let go of her she might vanish and he might not survive the loss.

"I'm sorry, River," he mumbles, his breath warm against her neck. "I'm so sorry. For all of it."

"I know," she says, reaching up to run her fingers through his hair, closing her eyes against an almost overwhelming rush of pain and loss and love, not only for her brave, beautiful parents, but for the ageless idiot in her arms. "I know you are. But my love, don't you know? You are forgiven. Always and completely forgiven."

He says nothing for a long while, but the tears she knows he hopes she will not mention speak volumes, and they sit together until sunrise.


	2. stranger than fiction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eleven surprises River with a visit to a planet she never knew existed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for olga_theodora, prompt, River/Eleven, something happy and flirty. Not terribly flirty, but here we are.

"Where have you taken us this time, my love?" River asks, watching in fond amusement as the Doctor capers around the TARDIS console. He had insisted that this one absolutely had to be a surprise, and judging by the fiendish way he's rubbing his hands together and muttering excitedly to himself, he thinks it's going to be a good one.

She knows it's too much to hope for that he's found the pleasure planet. He'd never be able to mention that without blushing, anyway, she considers, as her mad, impossible husband dances over to the door of the TARDIS and beckons for her to follow.

"Would you like to guess where we are?" he asks, all but bouncing with excitement. "You won't ever manage it, of course, but you're welcome to try."

She rolls her eyes at him. Just for that, she's tempted to guess the pleasure planet, just to watch him blush, but she decides that there will be future opportunities to take the wind out of his sails, and right now he looks too delighted at his own cleverness and whatever awaits them outside the TARDIS for her to really enjoy taking him down a peg or two, so she settles for shrugging and guessing something utterly mundane, just so the surprise will be all the better.

"The amusement park they built on Pluto in 4050?" she asks.

"Better," he says, tapping her nose with his finger. "Bigger!"

She can't help it, she does raise a suggestive eyebrow at that, and he looks momentarily flummoxed and fumbles with his braces before saying, "River."

"Tell me where we are, then," she laughs, and he grins and goes to open the door.

"Welcome," he says, pushing open the door, "to a time long, long ago, in a galaxy far, far away."

"You didn't," she gasps.

"I did!" he shouts, throwing his arms wide. "Coruscant! Seat of government of the New Republic, a planetful of city and lights and people from all over the universe, including, might I add, a bunch of people who regularly practise telekinesis and fight with glowy swords, all of which is totally fictional except, of course, the part where it isn't, and have I impressed you yet, River Song?"

"I can't believe it," she says. "It's real? It can't be, someone would have heard of it!"

"Someone did," he says. "A whole planet of someones, thanks to George. I did tell him to keep a low profile, but you know Corellians. Worst secret-keepers in all the universe, really."

"I want a new blaster," she says immediately.

"I rather thought you might," he says smugly.


	3. when melody met the doctor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Professor River Song meets the mysterious man she's been trading emails with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompted by [shadowen](http://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowen/pseuds/shadowen): River/Eleven, romcom AU.

Today is supposed to be the day that Professor River Song finally has a drink with the mysterious love of her internet life, a witty, charming fellow whose online handle is simply, “The Doctor.”

 _I’ll be at Nighthawk’s at half past four_ , his email had promised. _Can’t be terribly hard to find. I’ll be the only man in the place with a tweed jacket and a bow tie. Can’t understand why more people don’t wear them: bow ties are cool._

So now here she is at half past the appointed hour, blue notebook in hand and a flower in her hair, just so he’ll recognize her, but the only man in the bar is the irritating curator who occupies the office across the hall, who is wearing, she realizes with a start, a bow tie and a tweed jacket. He takes one look at her notebook and flower and his eyebrows dart up toward his hairline in surprise.

“You’re the Doctor?” River asks, barely able to believe that the person she’s been flirting with all this time has been the extremely frustrating curmudgeon across the hall.

“You’re Melody?” he frowns and tugs absent-mindedly on his bowtie, then hits himself on the forehead with the flat of his palm. “Melody Pond, River Song, how did I miss that?”


End file.
